Automatic block-signal.



No. 851,523. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

N. c. KEBLING.

AUTOMATIC BLOCK SIGNAL.

APPLIUATION FILED 00131, 190s.

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' NEVTON C. KEELING, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

AUTOMATIC BLOCK-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application led October 3l, 1906. Serial No. 341,407.

T0 a/ZZ who/1t t ma/y concern:

Be it known that l, NEWTON C. KEELING,

.a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Faireld, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Automatic Block-Signal, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to block signals for electric railways, and is designed especially for indicating to the motorman of a ear approaching a block that there is another car already upon that block.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and thoroughly reliable automatic block signal, which shall be adapted for general use on electric railways, especially adapted for single track overhead trolley railways, provided with turnouts at which cars coming in opposite directions pass, and in which it is required that a car passing out of the block shall give a signal to a car coming in the same direction that the block which the signalling car has just left is open, and shall give a signal to cars coming in the opposite direction that the block which the signalling car has just entered is closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a structure of this character an ini-- proved wheel device to be operated by the trolley of a car for actuating the switches which control the signalling lamps.

Another object is to provide an improved structure of this character, in which one wire connects two signals, one at each end of the block, both of said signals being cut in or out of the circuit together.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction and combinat-ion of parts and circuits substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings :"-Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating, somewhat diagramniatically, the construction of the switches and the circuits complete for one block, and a portion of the same figure at the left rel-ating to another and independent block. 2 is a detail elevation of the end of the switch shaft, and of the operating wheel connected thereto, to be engaged, and given one quarter of a rotation, by a passing trolley. Fig. 3 represents a vertical section through the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate the 5 same or similar parts in all of the views.

feed wire and trolley wire at 11 and 12 respectively, and 13 denotes the rails of the car track.

It is to be understood at thel outset that the right hand pole and the intermediate pole shown in Fig. 1, are supposed to be at the ends of a block, whichblock may be of any length desired, and with as many intervening poles (not shown) as may be required for the length of said block. The pole shown at the left in Fig. 1 simply represents the last pole of another block at the left.

The block and the switches and the circuit connections indicated at the center and right of Fig. 1 belong to an individual struc ture, having nothing whatever to do with any similar block either beyond or before said block. Tn practice there will be a comparatively short distance between the poles and switches of adjoining blocks, usually the distance from one pair of supporting poles to the next, so that no signals are operated at all to indicate anything between two blocks. Such a distance is in practice so short, that the motorman can always see the first signal of a block ahead of him as he leaves the last signal of the block over which he has just traveled. Therefore it is to be understood, as indicated by the reference characters at the left of Fig. l, that said characters denote the parts which are duplicates of parts shown at the right of Fig. 1.

Proceeding now to describe a single independent block, all of the others being duplicates, a signal lamp 14 is indicated conventionally at one end of the block, and a signal lamp 140 is indicated at the other end ot the block, these two lamps being switched into or out of the circuit simultaneously, so that the occupancy of that block by a'car will be indicated to a motorman on any car approaching from either direction. Supported by the poles at each end of the block, or otherwise supported, are cross rods 15 each having hangers 16 in which a rotary shaft is mounted, the shaft at one end of the block being indicated by 17 and the shaft at the otherend of the block being indicated by 170. These shafts are both provided with an operating wheel 1S at one end, which is adapted to be engaged by the trolley of a car entering or leaving the block. Since the shafts 17 and 170 actuate switches against some little resistance, it is essential that wheels 18 shall be firmly secured to the shafts. To this end the IOO shafts are squared as shown in Fig. 2, and the openings in the wheels 18 are similarly formed, suitable insulation 19 being interposed between the shafts and the Wheels secured thereto so that no current can pass through the shafts due to the contact of either the trolley or the trolley wire with said.

v wheels.

The wheels are formed with two ilanges and are preferably so mounted that the trolley wire 12 will normally extend between said flanges as indicated in Fig. 3. The star shape of the wheels or their fianges issuch that when a trolley passes a wheel and engages its points, the wheel and the corresponding shaft are given one quarter of a rotation.

Secured to each shaft 17 and 170, so as to be rotated thereby, is a wheel 20 which I shall refer to as a brake wheel, because although said wheel is included in one of the circuits, yet the detent which co-operates therewith for the circuit is formed so as to engage either one of four notches in said wheel so as to stop the rotation of the wheel and the shaft at the proper point for the switching operation and prevent overthrow and hold the parts in said position. In order to distinguish the varying directions of the circuit in operation, I have indicated one of the detents as 21 at one end of the block, and the other detent as 210 at the other end of the block, although said detents are in'practice substantially identical. Each shaft 17 is provided with two contact pins indicated respectively by 35 and 38, and each shaft 170 is provided with two contact pins, indicated respectively'by 36 and 37 extending through the same at right angles to each other. It is to be understood, however, that these contact pins need not be continuous from end to end so long as the electrical connection with the shafts 17 and 170 is insured. For convenience and simplicity of c onstruction, however, I prefer that each of said contacts shall be an integral or single piece of wire or a rod passing through the shaft so that either end thereof will co-act with the spring contact provided to co-operate therewith in completing the circuit between said spring contact and one of the shafts 17 or 170. In other words, each end of apin contact constitutes one terminal of a switch, and the spring contact constitutes the other terminal of a switch.

The four spring contacts are constructed practically alike and are all mounted upon the rods 15, two on each rod, and insulated therefrom as at 19. They are indicated in the drawings by 23, 24, 25, and 26 for purposes of clearness in describing the circuits. As shown, each shaft has its pins or switch members so arranged that when one completes the circuit the other breaks the cir cuit. Switch member 38 and contact 24 at one end of the block co-.operate with switch member 37 and contact 25 at the other end of the block, and switch member35 and contact 23 one end of the block co-operate with switch member 36 and contact 26 at the other end of the block. The circuit connections are indicated as wires, the wires 27 and 270 leading from the feed wire 11 to the coi'itacts 23 and 25 respectively, a suitable resistance in each wire being indicated at 28. fires 30 and 31 connect the contacts 24 and 26 respectively with the rail 13 so that the motive power current may be utilized for the lamps. A wire 32 connects the detent 21 with the lamp 14 at that end of the block, wire 34 connects the detent 210 with the lamp 140 at the other end of the block, and a wire 33 connects the lamps 14 and 140.

In operation, with the switches set as shown in lfig. 1., the current may be traced through wire 27, contact 23, switch member 35, shaft 17, wheel 20, detent 21, wire 32, lamp 14, wire 33, lamp 140, wire 34, detent 210, wheel 20, shaft 170, switch member 36, contact 26, and wire 31 to rail 13. If now the car in the block which has set the switches to complete the circuit, as just described, leaves the said block, it breaks the circuit. For instance, if such car is advancing to the right in Fig. 1 and gives the shaft 170 one quarter of a rotation, it opens the circuit at 26, 36, and places switch member 37 of that shaft in engagement with contact 25. No circuit is established, however, because the current from the feed wire cannot enter the circuit as the circuit is still broken at 24, 38. If, however, a. car approaches from the left, the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 1, and passes into the block, it gives shaft 170 one quarter of a rotation so as to complete the circuit at 25, 37. 'Ihe current for the lamps now follows wire 270, contact 25, switch memberl 37 shaft 170, wheel 20, detent 210, wire 34, lamp 140, wire 33, lamp 14, wire 32, detent 21, wheel 20, shaftv 17, switch member 38, contact 24 and wire 30 to rail 13.

It will now be understood that one of the circuits will be completed by any car passing into a block, and broken by any car leaving it, whether the cars p assin the same or in opposite directions, because one half rotation of either shaft 17 or 17 O will have the same effect as though the shaft were given one quarterl rotation at one operation and a return quarter rotation at the next operation. In other words, the switch members 35, 36, 37, 3S co-act with their respective spring contacts at each half rotation of the shaft, and

-it therefore makes no difference whether a shaft is always actuated in one direction or whether it is actuated first to switch the current through the lamps and then in a reverse direction to break the circuit.

It will be understood of course that although I have shown but two lamps, 14 and IOO IIO

140, connected by the wire 33, there may be as many lamps in series on said wire 33 and along the block as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention l claim:

l. A block signal system comprising la switch mechanism and a signal at each end of a block, each switch mechanism comprising rotary, angularly-mounted contacts, having means in the path of a trolley for rotating the same, co-operating contacts adapted to be alternately engaged by the rotary contacts, and circuitJ connections with said contacts for making and breaking the circuit through both of said signals.

2. A block signal system, comprising a switch mechanism and a signal at each end of a block, each switch mechanism comprising a shaft having a plurality of contacts at an angle to each other, and having also an operating wheel in the path of the trolley, cooperating contacts adapted to be alternately engaged by the shaft contacts, and circuitconnections with said contacts for making and breaking a circuit through both of said signals.

3. A block signal system, comprising a switch mechanism and a signal at each end of a block, each switch mechanism comprising a shaft having a plurality of contacts at an angle to each other, and having also an operating wheel in the path of the trolley, and provided also with brake devices to prevent overthrow of said shaft, co-operating contacts adapted to be alternately engaged by the shaft contacts, and circuit connections with said contacts for making and breaking the circuits through both of said signals.

4. A block signal system comprising a switch mechanism and a signal at each end of a block, each switch mechanism comprising a shaft having a plurality of contacts at an angle to each other, and having means whereby it may be rotated by a passing trolley, means for holding the shaft in either of its rotatively adjusted positions, co-operating contacts adapted to be alternately engaged by the shaft contacts, and circuit connections with said contacts for making and breakinga circuit through both of said signals.

5. A block signal system, comprising a switch .mechanism and a signal at each end of a block, each switch mechanism comprising a shaft having a plurality of contacts at an angle to each other, and having also means whereby it will be rotated by a passing trolley, co-operating contacts adapted to be alternately engaged by the shaft contacts,

and circuit connections with said contacts for making and breaking a circuit through both of said signals, said connections including connections with the feed wire and ear rail.

(j. A block signal system comprising a switch mechanism and a signal at each end of a block, each switch mechanism comprising a shaft .having a plurality of contacts at an angle to each other, and having also means whereby it may be rotated by a passing trolley, said shaft having also a notched disk, a detent co-operating with said notched disk, co-operating contacts adapted to be alternately engaged by the shaft contacts, and circuit connections with said contacts for making and breaking the circuit through both of said signals.

7. A block signal system comprising a switch mechanism at each end of a block, adapted to be opened and closed alternately by a passing trolley, a signal at each end of the block, and circuit connections co-operat- A ing with the switches, each switch mechanism including a shaft having an angular end and a wheel formed to lit an end of the shaft, and located in the path of a passing' trolley, said wheel being insulated from said shaft.

S. A block signal system comprising a switch mechanism at each end of a block, adapted to be opened and closed alternately by a passing trolley, a signal at cach end of the block, and circuit connections co-operating with the switches, each switch including in its construction a shaft having a twoflanged wheel rigidly secured to its end in position for the trolley wire to extend between said flanges, whereby said wheel will be directly actuated by the passing trolley wheel.

E). A block signal system, comprising a lamp at each end of a block, a shaft at each end of the block, said shaft having a wheel adapted to be operated directly by a passing trolley wheel to give it a partial rotation, switch members carried by said shafts, contacts to co-operate with said switches, brake or detent mechanism for stopping the rotation of the shaft at a predetermined point on each partial rotation, and circuit connections whereby both lamps will be cut into or out of the circuit by a partial rotation of either shaft.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

NEVTON C. KEELING.

Titnesses JonN A. VARNER, Onirnr E. MonGAN',

IOO 

